The traverse over to Montgomery from Boundary is probably worth it, but you might not think so as you negotiate the loose scree and rotten rock along the way. The view from the summit is sublime, as you will see the Sweetwaters in CA to the NW, the Toiyabes and Toquimas in NV to the NE, the Sierra crest to the West as well as an end view of the White Mountain range to the south of you. I find it hard to believe that so many climb Boundary and then turn around and walk back down, leaving this higher peak unclimbed.

On a cold and very windy day. I did Boundary solo 4 months earlier, but came back with Daryn to get Montgomery (and Dubois the next day). Montgomery is a much nicer (and less crowded) climb than Boundary. I balked at doing it solo, but it was a lot easier than I had expected. About 2 hours RT from Boundary. See my pictures (with a 360 panorama) at http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/560938138jSIrWQ

This was one of the most obnoxious traverses I have ever done. Not only is it full of loose crap, but on the day I did it there were several inches of new snow covering up much of the route. I felt completely worked, having to save my balance every couple steps, and it took longer to reverse than it did to get over there in the first place, owing to the slowness of the descent from the peak to the saddle. Ugh. I suppse I'm glad I did it, but just barely. And I just barely avoided getting caught in a snow storm.

Comments on the traverse from Boundary to MontgomeryDate Climbed: Jul 22, 2006

Most people reach Montgomery as an add-on from the Boundary Peak climb. I found that once you leave the trail, which ends on the summit of Boundary, the difficulty goes up a step. I dropped down to the left (east side) of the ridge and sidehilled down disagreeable scree to the col between the two peaks. Some folks have recommended staying on the ridgeline as much as possible, but that way didn't look too good to me. Once on the Montgomery side, the climbing became an enjoyable scramble. I stayed on the ridgeline with some detours to the left. The summit pinnacle was cool.

Some people say Montgomery Peak overshadows Boundary in both height and ruggedness. I would say you don't really see that effect until you have summitted Montgomery: from Boundary, Montgomery looks like a similarly rugged but slightly higher peak; from Montgomery, on the other hand, Boundary looks like an insignificant scree foresummit.

The Boundary summit register was full of recent entries, including several from the previous day. The Montgomery register, on the other hand, had received no entries in ten days. Pity, as Montgomery is a very worthwhile climb. On the return, I retraced my route down Montgomery and then sidehilled across Boundary to minimize the reclimbing. Elapsed RT time between Boundary and Montgomery for this very average climber, a bit over 3 hours.

Bottom line? I'd definitely recommend doing Montgomery unless you are constrained by lack of time or threatening weather.